Yeah, that's what I said...he may be provisionally suspended while they hold a trial. That can be kept secret. ("...the key word in the above rules is the word "may," meaning that it's up to the governing body to decide whether it wants to disclose.") However, if they find him guilty, it is immediately made public. ("The only mandatory rule is that decisions finding that an anti-doping violation occurred must be made public.")

You don't need to be condescending, I am agreeing with you that it is possible that he may be provisionally suspended. There is no evidence that points specifically to a suspension, though. There are hundreds of things that could cause him to miss this time. For example, a knee injury, or my theory about the CIA...

I'm not a doctor and I certainly have no inside knowledge of Nadal's injuries, but this is how I think of them:

If you were given the wish to win a Slam tournament, with the condition that every shot you made, you were hit in the shin with a hammer (it didn't slow you down or hurt your performance, but you experienced a lot of pain) would you do it? Certainly, many of us would choose to do that. However, after the third, or fifth, or eighth, slam title would the pain be worth it to you? Maybe you just would be sick of it and not so excited to go out there again.

Maybe playing just on clay where it wouldn't hurt as bad might be OK with you after a while.

Yeah, that's what I said...he may be provisionally suspended while they hold a trial. That can be kept secret. ("...the key word in the above rules is the word "may," meaning that it's up to the governing body to decide whether it wants to disclose.") However, if they find him guilty, it is immediately made public. ("The only mandatory rule is that decisions finding that an anti-doping violation occurred must be made public.")

You don't need to be condescending, I am agreeing with you that it is possible that he may be provisionally suspended. There is no evidence that points specifically to a suspension, though. There are hundreds of things that could cause him to miss this time. For example, a knee injury, or my theory about the CIA...

Come on, Mustard. You can't blame MichaelNadal for being at his wits end with Nadal right now. People only have so much patience, and he has already been out nearly 7 months, and it will be 8 months he will have been out if he comes back in February. It's frustrating, especially because Nadal and his camp keep getting his fans hopes up only to crap on them time and time again.

If you want players to play a lot longer, into their late 30s and beyond, hardcourt tournaments need to be heavily reduced on the tour.

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Not exactly! Make the courts like how it were in the 90s.. Then also there were as many hard courts as there are now. Make Wimbledon fast, speed up US Open, it's six hour long battles that make Tennis a war of attrition and not a sport. Give fair enough chance to attacking players in some tournaments.

If you make it a grind fest in all the tournaments then players will suffer.

He has been missing for a few months...that's enough time to do a mission anywhere in the world. It explains why Nadal is more buff than other tennis players, he needs it to be able to climb mountains and fend off baddies. It also explains his early loss in Wimbledon, he had to leave for a mission before July so he couldn't continue in the tournament anyways, he made sure to make it look convincing, though.

My point is that no one on this forum has enough information to say what is going on with Nadal, and that you can make stories fit. The only people who really know what is going on is Nadal and his team, they say it is his knees. You can speculate all you want but that is the only real evidence for anything that is happening with him. Any story beyond that is just as sound as any other, whether it be a suspension, or the CIA, or he's bored of tennis.

When you've been out this long, and you need to get your comeback right hopefully to extend your career and not break down again (and Rafa will be worried about breaking down again physically by the point, no doubt about it), when your main legacy is being the greatest clay court player in history, not being able to train properly before your first tournament back in six months will be a big no-no. I see in the time I've not bothered checking in the levels of idiocy on this forum have continued to rise.

A shame he won't be at the AO, but if he's not able to play at a proper level he doesn't want to do it, and I respect him for that.

When you've been out this long, and you need to get your comeback right hopefully to extend your career and not break down again (and Rafa will be worried about breaking down again physically by the point, no doubt about it), when your main legacy is being the greatest clay court player in history, not being able to train properly before your first tournament back in six months will be a big no-no. I see in the time I've not bothered checking in the levels of idiocy on this forum have continued to rise.

A shame he won't be at the AO, but if he's not able to play at a proper level he doesn't want to do it, and I respect him for that.

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Exactly. And the idiocy is staggering, even from people who usually don’t seem quite so dumb.

He is NOT pulling out because of the virus people. He didn’t say that. Lear to read ffs. It’s disrupted his training, which was way too little to begin with, before the tournament. What’s with the shock?, he had said his knee wasn’t quite right yet, it had been pointed out by himself – and by others, like the Viña del Mar tournament director who had talked to Benito – that he might not play the AO, even before the virus.
He had even said he might be pulling out of tournaments for a couple of months. Which is what he’s doing now… and people act like it’s such an unexpected thing?. And some Nadal fans act all hurt?. Please.

I have to say I’m worried nonetheless about how serious his knee problem might be.

Oh, and people showing their glee are just pathetic people, not much else to be said about them.

Unfortunately, there story has changed too much. And 3 months, as per your post is way too long to figure out someone needs to take some aspirins for knee tendinitis.And you still have the two month diarrhea delay to explain.

I dunno. The problem is Rock is only scheduled to be wrestling Rumble and Mania, and I don't know if they can have a road to Wrestlemania without the champion there. We have the elimination chamber match also to think about in February, and Rock has two movies he is making.

Cena beating Rocky would be bad, any progres in developing new stars goes, if we just have the usual Mania thing with Cena winning the title again. If anything, if they are going to have Rock and Cena go at it again, then Punk needs to be involved in that match also, and make it a triple threat.

I've kind of lost interest in current WWE, it's just too stale for me. It's hard for me to sit through half an episode but I try. I watch classic matches almost nightly though. I may go see it, are tickets on sale already? I've been too busy to follow it.

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I know what you mean bro. I've been playing WWE 13 on PS3 lately, and have been doing the attitude era storyline, which really does take me back. The rise of DX, Austin 3:16, the brothers of destruction, The Great One, Mankind and Wrestlemania 15 story modes are just so cool. WWE is trying to do something different it seems though...Did you see TLC ppv? If you haven't, try watching it, they put on a good show. The Shield TLC match was pretty good, and they took some serious bumps in that match.

Tickets are on sale for Mania. I am not so sure at the moment, I am normally in the States at that time of year anyway, so I fly down to NYC for a few days to see it.

I dunno. The problem is Rock is only scheduled to be wrestling Rumble and Mania, and I don't know if they can have a road to Wrestlemania without the champion there. We have the elimination chamber match also to think about in February, and Rock has two movies he is making.

Cena beating Rocky would be bad, any progres in developing new stars goes, if we just have the usual Mania thing with Cena winning the title again. If anything, if they are going to have Rock and Cena go at it again, then Punk needs to be involved in that match also, and make it a triple threat.

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Good points. I like your triple threat idea. I just think Cena should beat The Rock at some point at WM because tbh I was a little baffled as to why Rock went over Cena at WM last year from a "business" standpoint if you will. I know he's The Rock and he's great, but I didn't like the fact that the comeback star got put over in favour of the current one. Now the most likely scenario is Cena-Rock II at this WM IMO. Cena hasn't held the title in quite a while because he doesn't need it anymore to maintain his popularity, but Punk being champion for this long has not sat well with me to be frank. He's been secondary for most of it, and he would've been served better with a shorter reign, but the only reason he's had it this long is because there are no developed stars ready to really run with the belt IMHO. At least not for the majority of Punk's reign. But I digress. This is not a wrestling forum after all.

Exactly. And the idiocy is staggering, even from people who usually don’t seem quite so dumb.

He is NOT pulling out because of the virus people. He didn’t say that. Lear to read ffs. It’s disrupted his training, which was way too little to begin with, before the tournament. What’s with the shock?, he had said his knee wasn’t quite right yet, it had been pointed out by himself – and by others, like the Viña del Mar tournament director who had talked to Benito – that he might not play the AO, even before the virus.
He had even said he might be pulling out of tournaments for a couple of months. Which is what he’s doing now… and people act like it’s such an unexpected thing?. And some Nadal fans act all hurt?. Please.

I have to say I’m worried nonetheless about how serious his knee problem might be.

Oh, and people showing their glee are just pathetic people, not much else to be said about them.

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Why do you belittle those who feel jerked around by Nadal? His fans are tired of the false starts and bs coming from him and his camp. It's been nearly 7 months now and he is still not back. He needs to make up his mind if he is coming back or not and stop the indecisive mind games.

Good points. I like your triple threat idea. I just think Cena should beat The Rock at some point at WM because tbh I was a little baffled as to why Rock went over Cena at WM last year from a "business" standpoint if you will. I know he's The Rock and he's great, but I didn't like the fact that the comeback star got put over in favour of the current one. Now the most likely scenario is Cena-Rock II at this WM IMO. Cena hasn't held the title in quite a while because he doesn't need it anymore to maintain his popularity, but Punk being champion for this long has not sat well with me to be frank. He's been secondary for most of it, and he would've been served better with a shorter reign, but the only reason he's had it this long is because there are no developed stars ready to really run with the belt IMHO. At least not for the majority of Punk's reign. But I digress. This is not a wrestling forum after all.

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If Cena V Rock II does happen, you can 100% guarantee Cena goes over. They won't have the face of the company lose back to back Manias to the same opponent, who quite simply does not need to be put over, because he is already insanely over no matter what. Punk for me deserves a main event spot at Mania, so a triple threat creates a sense of doubt rather certainity for who is the winner. Yes, he has look a bit secondary, but if you think about it, that is more to do with WWE going back to old booking methods from the 80s. Punk is the Randy Savage to Cena's Hogan, and a lot of this has to do with Vince wanting to keep Cena as the top guy. Its about merchandise. The reason why the belt has been on Punk for so long comes from various thoughts put together. The first being they are trying the old school mentality of not hot swapping the title around so much, so when Punk does lose the title, it can help build a new star if possible. Secondly, they saw what long title reigns have done in TNA recently, so they are trying it themselves. Plus, it is simply something that we have not seen in a while.

Yes, this is a tennis forum, but sometimes MichaelNadal and I catch up on wrestling once in a while.

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

Cheers, TennezSport

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This sounds credible. You don't pull out 2.5 weeks in advance due to a stomach virus. If everything else is fine, he would be over a stomach virus in 1-3 days and back on the practice court.

Why do you belittle those who feel jerked around by Nadal? His fans are tired of the false starts and bs coming from him and his camp. It's been nearly 7 months now and he is still not back. He needs to make up his mind if he is coming back or not and stop the indecisive mind games.

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Trolling aside, I have to agree with you on this one Clarky. Well said.

If Cena V Rock II does happen, you can 100% guarantee Cena goes over. They won't have the face of the company lose back to back Manias to the same opponent, who quite simply does not need to be put over, because he is already insanely over no matter what. Punk for me deserves a main event spot at Mania, so a triple threat creates a sense of doubt rather certainity for who is the winner. Yes, he has look a bit secondary, but if you think about it, that is more to do with WWE going back to old booking methods from the 80s. Punk is the Randy Savage to Cena's Hogan, and a lot of this has to do with Vince wanting to keep Cena as the top guy. Its about merchandise. The reason why the belt has been on Punk for so long comes from various thoughts put together. The first being they are trying the old school mentality of not hot swapping the title around so much, so when Punk does lose the title, it can help build a new star if possible. Secondly, they saw what long title reigns have done in TNA recently, so they are trying it themselves. Plus, it is simply something that we have not seen in a while.

Yes, this is a tennis forum, but sometimes MichaelNadal and I catch up on wrestling once in a while.

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Again good points. I've seen all the thoughts about not hot swapping the titles among other things, including the Cena-Hogan comparisons which are ridiculously obvious anyway. I joined a wrestling forum called wrestlezone in Feb 2012, so I peruse the forums to see the topics and read people's opinions, but I rarely post there. And before that I did the same at a place called 24forums which has since been shut down, so I'm not exactly new to any of this for lack of a better term, even though I don't follow wrestling nearly as much as I used to.

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

Cheers, TennezSport

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That actually seems like a legit explanation. Gonna just quote this again for others to see.

My choice of period was: after Djoko became a top player. If you weren't exclusively obsessed with Fed's butt, you would know that in AO 2007, Djoko was a (teenage) nobody who had never made a big final in his career (and was ranked #15). Djoko had his breakthrough event at IW 2007. Since Djoko became a top player, Fed hasn't won a set off him at AO.

This sounds credible. You don't pull out 2.5 weeks in advance due to a stomach virus. If everything else is fine, he would be over a stomach virus in 1-3 days and back on the practice court.

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The reason for Nadal withdrawing from AustralianOpen2013 was because it is obviously unsuitable for a player to come back after not having played a match for 6 months into a best of 5 sets tournament. Nadal needs more time and match practice, which Nadal can easily do in Acapulco2013 (which he won in 2005). The stomach virus combined with his knee injury meant that Nadal lacked the time to practice for AustralianOpen2013, hence had to pull out. Is that so hard to understand?

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

Rafael Nadal’s comeback has been postponed again after six months away from competitive tennis, and this time he said the crux of the matter was not his troublesome left knee.

Nadal announced Friday that he had withdrawn from the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 14, because of a stomach virus.

The decision means that Nadal, who lost in the 2012 Australian Open final, is guaranteed to drop out of the top four in the men’s tennis rankings for the first time since 2005. Still only 26 years old, he has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles and won a record seventh French Open in June.

“As I have always said, my comeback to the tour will happen when I find myself in conditions that will allow me to compete,” Nadal said in a statement. “After all this time away from the courts I prefer not to accelerate my return, and to do things properly.”

Nadal’s publicist, Benito Pérez-Barbadillo, said in a telephone interview that Nadal began to feel ill Dec. 20 on his home island of Majorca in Spain. By then, Pérez-Barbadillo said, Nadal had been practicing with increased intensity, but his illness forced him to stop training and doctors have advised him to rest for another seven days while undergoing tests.

“Rafa Nadal suffered last week a viral condition that caused a gastroenteritis with a high fever for four to five days,” Ángel Ruíz-Cotorro, the Spanish physician who heads Nadal’s medical team, said in the statement.

Nadal, now ranked fourth, already had withdrawn from this week’s lucrative exhibition in Abu Dhabi. He also pulled out of the tour event next week in Doha, Qatar. He has not played a match since his shocking loss to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon on June 28.

After withdrawing from the Summer Olympics in London in July, Nadal, who has struggled occasionally with tendinitis in both knees, later said that doctors had found a small tear in the patellar tendon in his left knee and diagnosed Hoffa’s syndrome, an often painful condition linked to impingement of the fat pad beneath the kneecap.

He elected to forgo surgery, but the rehabilitation process has proved lengthy. Although he continued physical conditioning and other off-court work in the early stages of his break, he did not play tennis again until late November.

“My knee is considerably better and the recovery process has gone as predicted by the doctors, but this virus means that I could not train last week or in the coming days,” Nadal said in his statement.

Some observers, including the leading coach and analyst Brad Gilbert, expressed surprise that Nadal would withdraw from the Australian Open more than two weeks before it began. But Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, said the issue was proper preparation after such a long break.

With Nadal unable to play next week and unwilling to wear himself out by playing a tournament the week before the Australian Open, he would have made his return to competition in a distant, best-of-five-set Grand Slam tournament known for its brutal summer temperatures. Last January, he lost in the final to Novak Djokovic in a match that lasted nearly six hours.

“It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best-of-five-sets event; he wouldn’t be ready for that,” Toni Nadal said in a statement. “It is true we have been quite unlucky with this, but there is nothing we can do.”

The concern is whether there is more to Nadal’s problems. In an interview with The Times of London last week in Majorca, Nadal acknowledged that the “knee is still not perfect.”

“The doctors say that the images are very good, so that is a big calm for me, but I still feel something,” he said. “I need to be careful. I need to be focused on how the knee is getting better or worse every day and don’t make a mistake that can be negative for my future. Not yet do I have the feeling that I am 100 percent ready to compete, to say, ‘I’m going to go there, I will be ready to run for every ball, to play aggressive, to do what I want with my legs and then try to play my best tennis to win.’ ”

But Pérez-Barbadillo said the virus, not the knee, was the decisive factor in his January withdrawals.

“We’re not lying to people; we never lie to people; it’s not our style,” he said. “His knees are doing well, but he’s got this thing and this thing has stopped him from practice, from getting everything on track.”

Nadal said he expected to play on clay at the Masters 500 event in Acapulco, Mexico, which begins Feb. 25. But he said he could return to the tour earlier.

It is unlikely he will play in Spain’s first-round Davis Cup match, which will be Feb. 1-3 against Canada in Vancouver on a quick indoor hardcourt in a best-of-five-set format. Already committed to Acapulco, Nadal, if healthy, would be more likely to choose one of the February events nearby in South America. Possibilities include Viña del Mar, Chile; São Paulo, Brazil; and Buenos Aires. Those events are all outdoors, best of three sets and on clay, which would allow him to return on his favorite surface and put less strain on his knees than on a hardcourt.

If and when he returns, there will be doubts about his durability and ability to succeed at the highest level in an age when the game is particularly rich in talent at the top with Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer, who at age 31 is preparing to play in his 53rd straight Grand Slam tournament. The men’s game also has strength in the second tier with Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych.

“Let’s just say this, it’s giving more hope to other guys,” Gilbert said. “One thing about sports and tennis is that it’s like a treadmill. It just keeps going, and the longer you miss, the tougher it gets.”

That is particularly true of the men’s game. Leading women, including Monica Seles, Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, have returned from extended breaks to win more major singles titles. But the leading men have struggled to replicate their success after a break of more than six months, and Nadal, if he returns in Acapulco, will have been out of action for eight.

Thomas Muster, who tore knee ligaments after being struck by a car in 1989, was able to return to the circuit six months later and eventually reached No. 1 in the rankings and won the 1995 French Open.

But John McEnroe, who took a six-month sabbatical in 1986 at age 27, never won another Grand Slam singles title. Mats Wilander, who was No. 1 in 1988, took the first of a series of extended breaks in 1990 and never won another major singles title.

But Nadal, unlike McEnroe and Wilander, does not appear to be struggling with motivation at midcareer.

“The guy wants to play, the guy wants to be back,” Pérez-Barbadillo said. “This is another setback, and let’s be glad that this year is over and this is our own Annus horribilis, I suppose. And hopefully 2013 will be better.”

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

The reason for Nadal withdrawing from AustralianOpen2013 was because it is obviously unsuitable for a player to come back after not having played a match for 6 months into a best of 5 sets tournament. Nadal needs more time and match practice, which Nadal can easily do in Acapulco2013 (which he won in 2005). The stomach virus combined with his knee injury meant that Nadal lacked the time to practice for AustralianOpen2013, hence had to pull out. Is that so hard to understand?

He has been missing for a few months...that's enough time to do a mission anywhere in the world. It explains why Nadal is more buff than other tennis players, he needs it to be able to climb mountains and fend off baddies. It also explains his early loss in Wimbledon, he had to leave for a mission before July so he couldn't continue in the tournament anyways, he made sure to make it look convincing, though.

My point is that no one on this forum has enough information to say what is going on with Nadal, and that you can make stories fit. The only people who really know what is going on is Nadal and his team, they say it is his knees. You can speculate all you want but that is the only real evidence for anything that is happening with him. Any story beyond that is just as sound as any other, whether it be a suspension, or the CIA, or he's bored of tennis.

He has been missing for a few months...that's enough time to do a mission anywhere in the world. It explains why Nadal is more buff than other tennis players, he needs it to be able to climb mountains and fend off baddies. It also explains his early loss in Wimbledon, he had to leave for a mission before July so he couldn't continue in the tournament anyways, he made sure to make it look convincing, though.

My point is that no one on this forum has enough information to say what is going on with Nadal, and that you can make stories fit. The only people who really know what is going on is Nadal and his team, they say it is his knees. You can speculate all you want but that is the only real evidence for anything that is happening with him. Any story beyond that is just as sound as any other, whether it be a suspension, or the CIA, or he's bored of tennis.

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Rafa secret missions are always foiled by his constant Facebooking/Twattering

I dunno. The problem is Rock is only scheduled to be wrestling Rumble and Mania, and I don't know if they can have a road to Wrestlemania without the champion there. We have the elimination chamber match also to think about in February, and Rock has two movies he is making.

Cena beating Rocky would be bad, any progres in developing new stars goes, if we just have the usual Mania thing with Cena winning the title again. If anything, if they are going to have Rock and Cena go at it again, then Punk needs to be involved in that match also, and make it a triple threat.

I know what you mean bro. I've been playing WWE 13 on PS3 lately, and have been doing the attitude era storyline, which really does take me back. The rise of DX, Austin 3:16, the brothers of destruction, The Great One, Mankind and Wrestlemania 15 story modes are just so cool. WWE is trying to do something different it seems though...Did you see TLC ppv? If you haven't, try watching it, they put on a good show. The Shield TLC match was pretty good, and they took some serious bumps in that match.

Tickets are on sale for Mania. I am not so sure at the moment, I am normally in the States at that time of year anyway, so I fly down to NYC for a few days to see it.

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WWE 13 is great. I got it for myself for Christmas. It really is crazy how great the storylines are. I love all the vintage costumes too. The last game I bought before this one was 10, which is amazing. I'll look into the WM tickets bc I do want to go.

Unfortunately, there story has changed too much. And 3 months, as per your post is way too long to figure out someone needs to take some aspirins for knee tendinitis.And you still have the two month diarrhea delay to explain.

People come back quicker from surgery.

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Okay, so you're upset with his doctors or whatever since they misdiagnosed him at first?

The stomach thing has been explained...I'm going to make it clear so I or anyone else doesn't have to explain it again...ever.

It's not the virus itself that is keeping Nadal from the AO, it's the practice time it is causing him to miss.

Why do you belittle those who feel jerked around by Nadal? His fans are tired of the false starts and bs coming from him and his camp. It's been nearly 7 months now and he is still not back. He needs to make up his mind if he is coming back or not and stop the indecisive mind games.

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Because it's such an entitled, spoiled and ungrateful attitude. How about these fans stop thinking about themselves for a minute and consider that this might be hard on him?. He has said many times that the uncertainty of not knowing when he can play again is the worst part of all this.

Spoke to a friend yesterday who works at the SC academy and he stated that Rafa's knee and foot is not 100% and he keeps re-injuring it when he begins practice. His doctors are pushing for surgery but he does not want it as it will limit his speed. He may not have any other choice so he is hoping that play on clay will not have the same result.

Because it's such an entitled, spoiled and ungrateful attitude. How about these fans stop thinking about themselves for a minute and consider that this might be hard on him?. He has said many times that the uncertainty of not knowing when he can play again is the worst part of all this.

Damn :?

Well, we knew his knee was not 100%... what is the SC Academy?.

Quoting so the dumb people here, who clearly can't read, give it another try.

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Give me a break. Nadal doesn't even like tennis so how can this be hard on him? This semi-permament vacation from tennis is fabulous for him. He does not care and never did.

Yeah, that's what I said...he may be provisionally suspended while they hold a trial. That can be kept secret. ("...the key word in the above rules is the word "may," meaning that it's up to the governing body to decide whether it wants to disclose.") However, if they find him guilty, it is immediately made public. ("The only mandatory rule is that decisions finding that an anti-doping violation occurred must be made public.")

You don't need to be condescending, I am agreeing with you that it is possible that he may be provisionally suspended. There is no evidence that points specifically to a suspension, though. There are hundreds of things that could cause him to miss this time. For example, a knee injury, or my theory about the CIA...

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I wasn't trying to be condescending, sorry if my post came off that way, just trying to give you the info you asked for.

I think we Rafa fans need to be prepared for a retirement, either this year or the next, if Rafa's physical state doesn't improve.

I don't buy that a bug is the reason why Rafa is withdrawing from AO with a couple of weeks to go. My money is on his knees again. It took Rafa nearly half a year to train a bit and even with all that rest he is still hurting in practice sessions. That is a BIG problem going forward.

The people behind Nadal, who want to make money, put up this smoke screen with the virus to make people think that Rafa was ready to come back after all this time but he just got unlucky with this illness. This way people will still be hopeful for Rafa's comeback and buy Rafa endorsed products and so on. If they let on that his knees are still keeping him from the courts 7-8 months after the issues started again, then Rafa's stock plummets massively and they lose out.

I think we Rafa fans need to be prepared for a retirement, either this year or the next, if Rafa's physical state doesn't improve.

I don't buy that a bug is the reason why Rafa is withdrawing from AO with a couple of weeks to go. My money is on his knees again. It took Rafa nearly half a year to train a bit and even with all that rest he is still hurting in practice sessions. That is a BIG problem going forward.

The people behind Nadal, who want to make money, put up this smoke screen with the virus to make people think that Rafa was ready to come back after all this time but he just got unlucky with this illness. This way people will still be hopeful for Rafa's comeback and buy Rafa endorsed products and so on. If they let on that his knees are still keeping him from the courts 7-8 months after the issues started again, then Rafa's stock plummets massively and they lose out.

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He has not said that is the reason. There was a good chance he wasn't going to play before the virus. He himself had said so. He needed every minute of practice before the AO before deciding if it was even a good idea to go, and now he didn't even get that time, so he decided he better not take part in it. Many of us were saying here it didn't seem like a good idea to take part on a 2 weeks, best of 5 tournament on hard courts coming right back of a long injury layout while not even being quite fine yet.

He had said he might not play, because of his knee. What is so hard to understand about this really?. He never said he was "ready to come back". he was saying he was going to use Abu Dhabi to see how he felt. That he might be playing and then stopping for a couple of months yet.

Anyway, if he doesn't get better maybe he should consider surgery?. I don't know how other top athletes have fared after knee surgery for tendinitis.

BTW, haters like the poster above me couldn't be happier since they know Fed only can win slams if Rafa isn't around. Pathetic creatures really.

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Crisstti surely you can do better than that? What is wrong, all of these negative Nadal posts getting to you?

Where was Rafa between 2005-2012 when Federer won 13 slams during that time? What a sore loser comment to make. It only shows that you are crumbling under the weight of all of the negative Nadal posts. Federer is almost 32 and he is still around and winning slams! Where is Nadal? He has not been seen for over six months since world number 100 defeated him in the second round of Wimbledon and nobody seems to be able to really pinpoint what is wrong with him, including his own bloody team. They can't even keep it all straight with their contradictory stories. That is the reality Crisstti so get a grip and don't go off on Federer here. He has nothing to do with any of this circus going on with Nadal presently.